Sonny Rollins, Jazz Titan, Dies at 95

Sonny Rollins, the influential jazz saxophonist, died at home in Woodstock, New York at age 95. Respiratory health issues had limited his public performances since 2012. He was shaped by early influences including Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, began on alto saxophone, and switched to tenor at age 16. As a teenager, he recorded with Bud Powell and J.J. Johnson, later working with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. In 1956 he emerged as a bandleader with major late-1950s recordings such as Saxophone Colossus and A Night at the Village Vanguard. He continued working throughout life, released Sonny, Please in 2006, received the National Medal of Arts in 2010, and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2011. He also practiced yoga since the 1950s and emphasized seeking wisdom and unraveling karma.

"Jazz luminary and saxophonist Sonny Rollins has died, according to a public statement by his publicist, Terri Hinte. In the recent past, the icon had been struggling with respiratory health issues, which had kept him from public performance since 2012. He died at home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95."

"Rollins came up on the music of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. He started playing the alto sax, but at 16, switched to tenor. As a teenager, he recorded with Bud Powell and J.J. Johnson. He later worked with Miles Davis (who referred to Rollins as a "legend" in his autobiography) and Thelonious Monk. In 1956, he emerged as a bandleader with a series of iconic recordings in the late 1950s, including Saxophone Colossus, A Night at the Village Vanguard, Tenor Madness, and Newk's Time."

"Though he took brief hiatuses away from music in 1959 and again in 1966, he continued working throughout his life. His most recent studio album was 2006's Sonny, Please. In 2010, Rollins was awarded the National Medal of Arts; a year later, he was made a Kennedy Center Honoree. A live recording titled Road Shows, Vol. 4: Holding the Stage was released in April 2016."

"The world is over in a minute and we're here just for a second. We need to use this time to find out something. We're all on our different journeys. And of course it's difficult. But it's the way it's supposed to be. I believe in karma too. Karma is what we're supposed to be doing-to unravel our karma. See, whatever I did that was bad in this life or another life, I have to get rid of that. And here I am."

Read at Pitchfork